


It Doesn’t Have To Be Today

by yjs_exoluv12



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M, Male Slash, Marauders Era (Harry Potter)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-29
Updated: 2020-11-29
Packaged: 2021-03-09 22:40:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 792
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27783871
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yjs_exoluv12/pseuds/yjs_exoluv12
Summary: Severus wakes up early in the morning to work on his personal project. James, ever the courteous Gryffindor, decides to accompany his boyfriend.Scrapped scene from “Ambition And Responsibilities”, can be read as a stand-alone piece.
Relationships: James Potter/Severus Snape
Comments: 2
Kudos: 123





	It Doesn’t Have To Be Today

“What are you writing about?”

Severus glared at James, who had snatched his quill away while he was in the middle of writing down notes. He had woken up at the crack of dawn and stealthily snuck out so he could jot down some notes in the empty corridor by the windows, but somehow James knew of his plans and came down to “accompany” him.

He was already tired enough from the morning grogginess. Did he  _ really _ have to babysit this arrogant brat  _ this _ early in the morning?

“Why do you ask, Potter?”

“You woke up before the sunrise just to do nothing?” James scoffed. “Care to tell your  _ boyfriend _ what has you so preoccupied that you’re losing precious sleep?”

Severus snatched back his quill.

“Creatures,” he carefully answered. To be specific, he was researching the symptoms of lycanthropy and jotting down potential ways to alleviate the symptoms.

He had to start small. Finding a potential treatment would surely make his name well-known, and only then will he be able to acquire the resources to go even further.

Yes, he would be quite satisfied going down in history as the man who cured werewolves.

“Werewolves,” James frowned.

“Yes, creatures,” he flushed as James leaned over to catch a better look, pressing his chest against Severus’s back. Sweet Merlin, since when was the lazy James Potter  _ this _ muscular? “It just so happens that they’re dark creatures.”

“Don’t tell me you’re going back to dark magic…”

“It’s not dark magic!” he refuted, slamming his notebook shut and leaning his neck back to face the irritated Gryffindor. He quickly regretted his childish outburst and lowered his head with embarrassment.

James’s face softened when he heard his lover quietly mutter, “I just want to find a cure…”

“That’s my Severus,” he whispered before kissing the back of Severus’s neck and frightening the poor Slytherin.

“Y-you…” Severus huffed. “It’s not like I’m getting anywhere with it.”

“How come?”

He pointed at the short paragraph in his textbook. “Because  _ that _ is all our book covers on werewolves. One bloody paragraph, when it should really be a chapter!”

The Marauder rested his chin on top of Severus’s shoulder and chuckled, knowing Remus would be elated to hear about this. Who knew his boyfriend was for werewolf rights?

“How am I supposed to find a cure when I barely know what a werewolf  _ is?  _ There’s too many theoretical ideas and not enough concrete facts to go off of! If someone wants to alleviate their symptoms, then maybe tell us what those symptoms  _ are!” _

The raven-head paused for a moment to catch his breath, a bit embarrassed that he lost his cool there. He didn’t know whether to be thankful or horrified that it was only in front of James.

“You know, I was into lycanthropy for a bit,” James mused, wrapping his arms around the Slytherin’s waist and pulling him in for a back hug. “My dad said he heard about a guy who might’ve found a treatment for it—not a cure, but anything helps.”

“So I’m not the first…”

“Hey, don’t get all pessimistic here! What I’m trying to say is that maybe now isn’t the time to find the cure. This guy might find a treatment, which opens up a bunch of research on werewolves. And then you’ll have what you need to put that genius mind to work and become the first man to ever cure a werewolf! But until then, you don’t have to stress over it.”

“It’s impossible,” he said quietly. “This is my one shot.”

“On the contrary, you’ve crafted spells and improved many potion recipes,” James refuted. “I think you have multiple shots, Sev, and you shouldn’t feel pressured to only focus on one of them. It doesn’t have to be today.”

“But-”

“How about you focus on the present? For instance, you have a handsome boyfriend who needs some love~” 

Beams of sunlight, though faint, shone through the windows and lit up the floor. Severus couldn’t resist catching a glimpse of the beautiful sunrise illuminating James’s tousled hair.

It was then that he realized how close it was to breakfast, and he had gotten  _ nothing  _ done. His notes were hardly different than yesterday, with only the addition of a few meaningless sentences.

But even though James had been nothing but a distraction, Severus couldn’t help but feel much better than he had before.

How infuriating.

“Something the matter?”

Feeling generous, he held James’s chin and rewarded him with a brief kiss. When he pulled away, he couldn’t resist laughing at James’s shocked expression.

“I think it’s time we got some breakfast,” Severus smirked before standing up and walking towards the Great Hall, leaving the dumbfounded Gryffindor behind in the empty corridor.


End file.
